Essay Example: Culture Workshop

Ivory Coast, also known as Cote d’Ivoire, is a country found in the southwest parts of Africa on the Gulf of Guinea bordering Burkina Faso to the north, Liberia to the west, and Ghana to the east. The country is almost square. The name Cote d’Ivoire derived from the version of the name Ivory Coast. The name goes back to the pre-colonial period of West Africa when European traders gave names to the coastal regions according to the most popular product being traded in the area. Ivory Coast from the French name Cote d’Ivoire and the Portuguese name Costa Do Marfim. Both titles in the two languages lie between what was known as the Guinea de Cabo Verde, also known as Upper Guinea at Cap-Vert, and Lower Guinea. Ivory Coast has two capitals, which include Abidjan and Yamoussoukro. After gaining freedom from the French colony, the country became known because of its cultural and spiritual accord and advanced economy. The country has more than 60 heterogeneous ethnic groups present. Alan group primarily occupies the Akan group accounts for about 42% of the population and occupies most of the central and eastern parts of the country. The official language in Ivory Coast is French, and other languages are Senoufo, Baoule, Bettie, Agni, and Dioula, mainly used in trading activities. Ivory Coast has a diverse Christianity, mostly Evangelical and Catholic, representing about 34% of the entire population. Believers of Islam predominantly Sunni represent 42% of the community. Only a small part of the population follows old culture and activities. From the entire population age group of 0-14 is 44%, 15-64 is 53%, and the age above 65 is 3%.

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Festivals and events in Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast has one of the most popular festivals called Festival of the Mask, which is organized, and it takes place in the compound of the man. Several trivial townships from the community in the area come to hold a competition to determine the best dancers eventually chosen to respect to the timberland spirits who are represented by people in decorative maskin the occasion. An additional significant event is a week-long term is a weekly ceremony in the community through the Bouake festival. The Festival starts at midnight when children and women snitch out of their houses naked and perform night-time rites to scare the village enchantments. Villagers go into trances and drums pound before the sunrise, and the chief appears. The event endures till the late-night of the next day concluding with a big ceremony its end.

Traditional music is branded by a succession of melodies and rhythms performed at the same time without one controlling the other. Musicians and dancers are organized in a manner that ensures no contradiction in events or activities in the ceremony. Most of the Dan is well known for music than dances. All their actions are always accompanied by music. All services such as marriage, death, weather, and birth are celebrated with music. The griot, also known as the village entertainers, is historically identified as musicians as a social group. The only use instruments they can make locally, for example, animal skins, horns, and gourds. Musical instruments used are shekere, Akombe, cleaners, and talking drums.

References

(2019). Africa: History and Culture, 4(1). doi: 10.13187/ahc.2019.1

Ivory, James, Lord Ivory (1792–1866). (2018). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. doi: 10.1093/odnb/9780192683120.013.14507